The GnATTERbox

For discussion of the issues faced when building a model or layout - how to replicate wood, what glues to use, exactly how much weathering can a Gnat take, a good source of detailing accessories - you get the picture, I'm sure.

I decided to have a lazy day and take a break from the honey-do list. So, I started working on my first Gn15 layout. It will be a simple thing, with a mine portal and a building or two, a battery loco and some sort of ore hauling device.

I found this old restaurant serving tray and decided it was a perfect size for this layout. Some flex track and a switch and I have a start! I discovered that the strings let me bend the track and hold in place while working on the fit. The layout just happened as I fit the track to the tray.

Indy just flew in from China and decided he could guard the operation while it is being built.

Of course I had to have a prototype battery loco to check sizes of stuff like the portal. A bit of card stock, the box off of the back of an Ertl Model T delivery truck, a truck from an old HO car and some masking tape made a ride for the Bachmann driver.

Here comes the train out of the portal.

This will be dedicated to my friend Mike (Miner Mike) who has been a miner all his life. He had a little mine in the mountains of Colorado years ago. They didn't have any ore cars, so they used flat cars and 5 gallon buckets to haul the ore out of the mine. I think I will surprise him with a couple of flat cars and tiny 5 gallon buckets (he calls them "pails") as the ore transport for this mine.

A tiny bit of progress. This is the first time I've tried to lay flex track and I'm learning I guess. I got the track pieces cut and fitted together and then cut a piece of 1/4" masonite as a base for the layout. It fits just inside the rim of the serving tray. That leaves me a space below the masonite for wiring and controls and such.

The layout has changed a bit. There will be a loco shed where the portal was going to be and the mine will be in a 'mountain' on the right side of the layout. The train will go into and out of the mountain and only be brought to the siding for repairs and storage. Since it will be an electric battery powered loco, there must be a generator shed and battery shed. There's no power at the site other than the generator.

I think the battery shed will be a lean-to on the right side of the loco shed and the generator will be in a building somewhere in the center of the layout.

Removing all those extra ties is a tedious job! Need to hire some track workers.

This stuff is addictive. I couldn't resist starting on the mine and mountain. The foam is in place, ready to trim and finish. I think I'll use some crumpled aluminum and for sure dry wall mud to texture the surface after trimming. Then paint.

The driver climbed up and is now afraid to come down... oh well.

There is room in the mine gallery to put at least one driller working on roof bolts or something.

The back of the mine will have a removable wall I think, so derails can be handled and to see the interior of the mine.

Simon, I'm using flex track. I am going to try to use a wood burning tip on the soldering iron to cut the extra ties away. That way I can pin down the track, glue it and cut away the ties . I'm having a lot of trouble holding the track curves without the strings..

When I get back to working on this and get the track glued down, my plan is...
The miner's cabin will be dug into the hillside between the portals.
Straighten the spur track to the loco shed, which will move it to the left.
That should leave room in the middle for a steam powered generator (using a Wilesco D5 power plant) and shelter shed.
A truck loading jib crane will go in the open area in the front, to load the ore into a Model T dump truck.

Ken,
I use a simple rail cutting pliers to cut alternative sleepers on my track. For flexi track , I would suggest then removing rail and pre-bending it to near required radius, and re-fitting to sleepers. This will reduce strain on string, in fact hopefully you won't need it.You might not even need to cut alternative sleepers, just separate them, and re-fix at required spacing. This should also cut down on gauge narrowing caused by bending flexi track so much. Best to use good quality flexi track such as Peco, with chairs that don't break so easily.

I got my Bachmann powered trucks today. For $10 each they look like a bargain to me. They have insulated wheels on alternate sides, so the truck picks up track power by itself. They should work for battery powered or track powered critters it looks like. I may need to get a couple more while they have them.
This layout will be track powered so this should work out great.

Somewhere I came up with a nasty case of bronchitis, so I took the day easy. I brought the Little Mine into the living room and sat with it for the day.

I've managed to get the rails done, well nearly done. I got the extra ties cut out and glued down the track and soldered all the joints. Still need to clean up and file the solder joints. I used a 'soldering iron' to cut the ties. This little soldering iron has interchangeable tips and one WAS an excto knife! If finally broke though, it just wasn't designed right. Good idea, but... broke. So I used a little 'paddle' that came with the iron to finish the work.

Here's the Exacto version...

I turned over the assembled track oval and proceeded to cut the connections between the ties.

I had to leave the strings attached until I turned the whole thing over and glued it down in places. I did that with hot glue, worked great.

After cutting the connectors, I just grabbed the tie with a pliers and snapped it out.

Here's the layout now. I think the portals will be a simple, single square set. I'll get more fancy on the next one.

Well, I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks. And, I don't feel well, but this made me feel better when it was finished. I took a video, figured out how to install a video editor in Linux (new to me also) and then finally got the video edited and uploaded. Let's see if it works... The track is still a bit rough and the ride is jerky yet. I did clean and graphite the track, oh, and the little loco and driver took the 60 foot scale dive off the cliff TWICE in the making of the video. Sigh, no damage or injuries. The loco is just card stock and tape with a weight on TOP of the motor so it is top heavy. LOL...

So, the guys at the mine found an OLD Mancha Little Trammer that they will renovate for use at their mine. I agreed to help them build it. Here's the patent pic, notice that it is similar, but not the same as the normal Little Trammer. (I like oddities... )

Note the wheels on the battery box. They are also somewhat different from the usual Little Trammer you see. I also found the patent for the battery changing system and a page explaining how it works.

Well, I invoked my unlimited modeling license and changed my mind on the trammer. We designed and built a completely different machine from scratch.
This is the first Wall Wart Underground Trammer.

I had this dead wall wart that was asking to become something useful again. The razor saw opened it up and all the innards came out. Then it was sectioned to make it narrower. This became the 'battery case' for the trammer. A bunch of bits of plastic from one of those pill boxes and some ball point pen parts and a large button and we have a trammer!

The red thing is the rear headlight. It can be swiveled front or rear or to any position to use as a work light. The seat is a large fake wooden button for the driver's butt.

The brake wheel is the center section from a spare chrome wheel from a car kit. The throttle control is the pocket clip and a section of ball point pen.

The flat car is made from stir sticks, some wood and a couple of axles from an HO car. It should hold 9 of Miner Mike's 'pails' of ore.

This design is made for a single 10 hour shift in the mine. The battery pack housing is extra large so they don't have to swap batteries. Now for final paint, some couplers, weathering and a test run!

Oh, the driver is one of those little Chinese unpainted people. His arms and legs were cut off and he was reformed into a sitting driver. Some glue and the saw dust filled out the necessary places.

Some progress today. I got the couplers on the loco and one on the flat car. It looks like a short 'rooster' type of thing will work for connecting the cars to the loco and each other. I also got lead weights installed in the loco and car for stability.

I cheated and made the couplers out of wood instead of steel or iron. Gotta paint the inside of the slots yet. The driver also got his clothes 'refreshed'.

There was nothing to hold the rear light from turning, so I installed an index pin. That will allow it to point forward, rearward or anywhere else and not turn while the loco is moving.

The front coupler. I made them heavy enough to serve as push bars too. Miners will do anything with anything...

Successful test run this morning. The loco goes round and round. The rooster is too short though, the first curve past the switch is too tight for it and it pulls the car off the tracks. More ballast in the car and loco and a longer rooster to come.

It is lovely to simply watch a train running in a circle-ish, isn't it? I really need to start thinking about a real layout with enough track to make it interesting. I also sympathize with your tracklaying efforts. My trackwork is horrendous and I'd love to see a good tutorial on methods of bending HO track. Anything would be a help.
I really love the look of your engine, well ... actually everything you're doing!
Chris